President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. The two men spoke Tuesday on matters including a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to start talks toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, the White House said.
The two leaders spoke by phone Tuesday morning and discussed the need for “a lasting peace agreement” as well as ” improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia,” according to a White House statement.
“The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said.
Tuesday’s high-stakes call was the latest effort in Trump’s efforts to reach an agreement that will eventually lead to the end of the Russian war on Ukraine. Trump last spoke to Putin on Feb. 12 for about 90 minutes, during which time the leaders agreed to visit each other’s nations.
On Sunday, ahead of the call, Trump told reporters that negotiations have progressed so far that he and Putin would be discussing “dividing up certain assets,” including land and power plants.
“It’s a bad situation in Russia, and it’s a bad situation in Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday….